One Heck of A Curse
by Kagami Kyoji
Summary: One day, Ban wakes up to find that he's turned into a WHAT!One shot, some fluff at the end. Hints of NatsumiXGinji....


"AAAAAHHHHHH!"

"Who..er..what? Ginji, what are you doing screaming your head off early in the morning," mumbled a still sleepy Mido Ban. Kudo Himiko had invited them to stay overnight at her apartment the night before. The duo, whom had been sleeping in the Beetle for almost a week previously, had gratefully accepted the offer...

"Now, that stupid Ginji have to spoil it by yelling at 6 a.m. in the morning... What is wrong with him," grumbled Ban to himself. Wait, something about his voice isn't quite right...

"Natsumi-chan, what are you doing in the bed? And where's Ban-chan?"

"Ginji, are you having another one of your sick dreams again?"

Why is my voice sounding so husky today, thought Ban.

"Ban-chan, is that you?"

"OF COURSE, IT'S ME!"

Wait, was I sounding like a GIRL just now?

"Er, Ban-chan... I think you should check out the mirror..."

Getting out of the bed, the Master of the Jagan decided to heed his partner's advice. He stepped into the bathroom and peeked into the mirror.

The very next instant, Ginji heard an extremely loud shriek.

Kudo Himiko was riding on her motorcycle. She looked at her watch.

"Good. The effects of the Slumber Scent should be wearing off by now..."

Continuing on her way, she tried hard to strifle a laugh.

Ban couldn't believe his eyes. Overnight, the Genius of Battles had turned into a...lady.

"Ok, Mido Ban. Calm down. Take a deep breadth..." 

Having decided to check out himself(er.. it's herself from now on), he quickly made some assessments.

"Ok, my face looks like Natsumi's...My hair is also as long as hers... My bust size is(giving it a squeeze ..) 34B. My 3 measurements are approximately 34-23-33..."

"Ban-chan, what are you doing in there," asked Ginji. Despite what had happened, Ban had managed to close the bathroom door before Ginji could investigate what the scream had been all about.

"Ginji," said Ban in her new voice (Wait, it sounds like Natsumi's too) "Could you go and look through Himiko's clothing for some...er... supports?"

"Ban-chan, what are supports"  
"Never mind! Just get out of the apartment until I call you!"

"Ok..."

Ginji had no idea what was going on. Good.

After hearing the door to the corridor clicked shut, Ban stepped out into the bedroom which Himiko had let the Get Backers sleep in. Without bothering to cover herself in a towel, she wasted no time going into Himiko's room to search through her stuff (Himiko's). Ban soon found what she was looking for...

"Ok, Ginji! You can come in now."

The Raitei of Mugenjou sighed as he re-entered the unit. There, he gasped.

For before him, sat a lady who looked like Natsumi. But she's at least a head taller. Also, she's dressed in Ban's shirt and pants, though it's obvious that they looked a little tight on her. Her hair was tied into a ponytail, like Natsumi's, but the lady had Ban's sunglasses and earrings on... and a cigarette in her mouth as well.

"Ban-chan?"

"Hai. It's me, Ginji."

"But, you look like Natsumi-chan. You even sound like her."

"I know. And I'm going to find out just how exactly I changed into a girl overnight. Let's go, Ginji!"

"But, Ban-chan, where are we going?"

"I've got a feeling that Himiko might know something about this. And where better to meet her than at the usual place?"

"But, Ban-chan... aren't you worried that Natsumi-chan might..."

Ban couldn't resist an evil grin.

On their way to the Honky Tonk, Ginji still had his doubts.

"But, Ban-chan..."

"Be quiet, Ginji. Now, here's the deal. You go into the cafe first. I'll join in right after you."

"But..."

"Shh!"

"Wouldn't Natsumi-chan faint when she sees you? I mean... And what about Paul-san?"

"Don't worry about Natsumi. She'll be ok. And Paul has seen far more stranger things, remember?"

The tyres of the Beetle screeched to a halt.

"Here we are. Now, go into the cafe as though nothing strange has happened"  
Giving another sigh, the blond-haired teen entered the Honky Tonk.

"Ohayo, Ginji-kun," chirped a familiar voice.

"Ohayo, Natsumi-chan..."

"Ginji-kun, what's the matter? And where's Ban-san?"

"Well, he's... er..."

"Well, stop stammering, Ginji. Tell us," grumbled an impatient Paul.

"I'm here," said Ban as she enters the shop.

Four eyes stared at the young woman that just entered the cafe. Two gasps. And the cigarette in Paul's mouth dropped onto the floor.

"Mido Ban, you better have an explanation for all this," exclaimed Paul. For him, the day had started ordinarily enough. He and Natsumi were just beginning to prepare for the day's work. Now the 'Closed' sign is still hanging in front of the door of the Honky Tonk...

"I don't have any. When I woke up this morning, I was already looking like Natsumi," answered Ban as she continued to puff on a Marlboro, her Blue Mountain in front of her.

Natsumi looked at Ban. She couldn't believe the resemblance between the two of them. Apart from the obvious difference in height, and Ban's usual mannerisms, Natsumi could have sworn that she had found a long-lost twin sister or something like that.

"It's true, Paul-san," said Ginji as the owner of the cafe turned his head and stared at the teen.

"Hmmm... Someone must have done something.."

"And that would be me," answered yet another familiar voice.

"Himiko! What the hell did you do to me," yelled Ban as the Poison Lady entered the cafe.

"It's simple, Ban. You've inhaled my new perfume, which turns a man into a woman," answered Himiko proudly.

"Do you usually go around spoiling men's fun like that? First, it was that perfume against the Kiryuudo, now this?"

"Time for you to feel how it's like to be stared at and groped at, Mido Ban. But not to worry, the scent will only last 24 hours."

"One whole day! I have to remain like this for the whole of today?"

"Well, considering what a lecher you were, I'll say this is but a small price to pay."

"Fine. Since you've told me everything, now it's time for you to have some nasty shocks of your own..."

"What do you mean?"

"How do you think I managed to keep my new-found 'assets' supported?"

A pause. And Himiko's smug expression was replaced by one of anger.

"You... MIDO BAN!"

"Hey, Ginji! Time for us to go," called out Ban as she avoided Himiko's Flame Scent.

"Himiko, dont you dare burn anything in the cafe! And you guys still haven't paid up yet!"

"Gomen, Paul-san! Ban-chan and I will pay you back someday," replied Ginji as he ran out of the Honky Tonk, hot on his partner's trail.

"Damn! I should have remembered to lock up my clothing beforehand," fumed Himiko as she replaced the stopper into the vial containing her Flame Scent.

"Well, you should have thought of everything when you decided to fool around with him. Ban isn't that stupid, you know," added Paul with a wry smile.

"You are not helping, Paul-san..."

Out in the central park, Ginji managed to catch up with his best pal.

"Ban-chan! Slow down!"

"Ok, Ginji. Looks like you need to get more exercise. What's wrong with you?"

What's wrong with me, thought Ginji. As he looked at Ban-chan, he realised what the problem was. Though Ban was walking like a guy, somehow Ginji couldn't shake off the feeling that it was Natsumi who was beside him. Sure, this Natsumi was about his height, smoked and had a bad-ass attitude. But Ginji didn't mind.

If only Ban-chan would agree to my using her for some practice...

Just then, he saw 5 figures walking towards them. He started running towards the group.

Fuyuki Shido was accompanying Otowa Madoka and Mozart for a scroll. As for Fuchouin Kazuki and Kakei Jubei, the Weaver wanted his best friend to just relax for that day. The two groups bumped into each other at the park as well...

"Hi, Ginji-kun!"

"Hi, Kazu-chan! Shido-kun, I see you are on a date with Madoka-chan."

"It's not like that, Ginji. I'm just accompanying her while she gives Mozart his daily walk..."

"Why don't you stop denying it, monkey boy? Just say that you are dating her. Is that really so hard?"

The group turned and looked at the speaker. It was a familliar voice, but somehow, everyone got the feeling that the lady standing before them was not the Natsumi they knew.

"Ginji-san, who was that? It sounds like Natsumi-chan. But..." asked Madoka.

"I agree, Raitei. Who'simpersonating Mizuki-san," asked Kakei Jubei.

"Wait a minute...It's you, Mido Ban! But how.."

"As usual, Monkey Boy here got it right through his animal instincts. Yes, it's me, Mido Ban-sama before you."

"Ginji-kun, can you please explain what this is all about," asked the ever-placid Kazuki.

"You see, Kazu-chan, Himiko-chan used a perfume on Ban-chan, turning him into a girl..."

"Ha! Finally, some just desserts for you, snake bastard," Shido couldn't resist a dig at Ban.

"Well, even as a lady, I still can outfight you, Monkey Boy! Not least because you're such a loser, sponging off a blind girl like that."

"You wanna fight it out here, Mido?"

"I'm game whenever you are, monkey boy!"

"Stop it, both of you!"

"Stay out of this, Thread Weaver!  
This is between Monkey Boy and me!"

Suddenly, Ban had a VERY evil thought.

"Hey, now to think about it..."

With that, Ban disappeared from view. The next instant, Kadsuki felt something, or someone, grabbing his crotch.

"What the..."

"Gee, Kazuki-chan. I never knew your 'member' was so... impressive."

"MIDO BAN!"

Threads began to spring out from nowhere. With the fury of a lightning storm, they blasted at where the Genius of Battles was last standing.

"Now, now! Who's the touchy baby now?"

"You'll pay for this, Mido Ban," Several needles flew through the mish-mash of string which had formed up.

"Samurai boy, do you really think that you could be of any help to Thread Weaver here," Avoiding the needles, Ban unleashed her attacks on the heir of the Kakei clan. Several scratches appeared on the young man. Meanwhile, the ground several feet around him exploded in a shower of cement and concrete...

"STOP IT, ALL OF YOU," bellowed an angry voice. Sparks were already gathering around Ginji. His eyes were also beginning to glow dangerously.

Knowing how Ginji hated such things, Ban decided to let it go.

"Sorry, Thread Weaver. Just playing a prank on you. Anyway, now I'm convinced that you're 100 a man."

Kazuki kept his string.

"Apology accepted, Mido. And thanks for remembering that I'm a guy."

"Next time you insult Kazuki-sama, you wouldn't be so lucky," threatened Jubei.

Wisely, Ban kept her mouth shut.

Seeing that peace had been restored, Ginji heaved a sigh of relief. Luckily, the park had been deserted at that time, thought Ginji to himself. Can't imagine how much we'll have to pay in damages if anyone caught us.

Meanwhile, Shido(who had led Madoka and Mozart to a safe place before the fight) came back along with his date and her dog.

"Actually, snake bastard, you don't look half that bad as a lady. Himiko sure did her homework when she made the perfume."

"Thanks for the compliment, Monkey Boy. Let's go, Ginji."

"Sayonara, everyone," waved Ginji.

"See you, Ginji-kun!"

With that, the 2 groups continued on their respective ways.

"Thanks for defending me, Jubei-kun."

"It's my duty, Kazuki-sama."

"Well, Ban-chan sure is a lecher even as a woman," observed Madoka.

"You do have very sharp ears, Madoka-chan."

"Shido-san, actually, it wasn't hard to figure out what could have caused such an outburst from Kazuki-san. Must have been something to do with THAT kind of stuff."

"Really, when will that snake bastard ever learn his mistakes," wondered the Beastmaster, keeping his thoughts to himself.

Continuing their stroll in the park, Ginji decided to ask Ban one innocent question.

"Ban-chan, can I ask you something?"

"What are you up to this time?"

"Nothing. So, tell me, how does it feel like being a girl?"

"Well..." Strangely, Ban didn't decide to press Ginji in between her knuckles, or bash him into the nearest tree.

"Actually, it wasn't as bad as I initially thought. Since it isn't permanent, I might as well have some fun while I'm at it."

"Hi, Ginji-kun. Who's that handsome lady beside you," whispered a chillingly familiar voice.

Instantly, tare Ginji knew who the speaker was. Turning around to face Dr Jackal, tare Ginji stammered,"It's... it's Ban-chan, Aka..Akabane-san..."

"Huh? Hmmm... Mido-kun, what happened to you?"

"Your lovely colleague Kudo Himiko decided to turn me from a skirt chaser into a skirt wearer. And what the hell are you doing here, Jackal?"

"Just taking a simple stroll. I never expected to meet you two here. But since I've had the good fortune ..." The sickening sound of scalpels exiting a human body could be heard quite clearly.

"You've never given me the pleasure of a really good fight before, Mido-kun. And today, I see that you bear Natsumi-chan's likeness. This will be...interesting..."

"I never expected any favours from you because of my new looks. But since you're spoiling for a fight today..."

The shadows of a scaly body could be seen as the ground underneath Akabane shattered. As usual, the Doctor had dodged the move. He was now on the offensive.

Although Ginji could see both Ban and Akabane, he just couldn't keep up with their strikes on each other. It's weird, he thought, seeing your best pal, who now looked like the girl you're having a crush on, fighting with your most feared enemy...

The two foes paused for an assessment.

"Hmmm... Not bad, Mido-kun. Your strength and speed hasn't diminished even though you're a woman..." Akabane had the usual scratch across his right cheek and part of the right sleeve of his black jacket had been torn off.

"But, apparently, you're still not used to fighting in this...body."

Ginji looked at his partner. Ban too had the scratches "he" always had while fighting the Jackal but today, there were slash marks across her chest and butt as well. Even more embarrassingly, Akabane's scalpels had managed to shave the top button of her shirt off...

"Good observation, Jackal. Seems that I kept forgetting to adjust for the new allowance needed to avoid your knives. But such wounds are nothing...," As Ban shrugged off her injuries, Ginji saw her ponytail fluttering in the wind...

Ginji's mouth fell open. It's one thing to be able to see Natsumi(or at least someone resembling her) show some flesh, but to hear her speaking (and looking) like a proud warrior is totally another matter.

"Well, let's continue, shall we? But, I've decided to increase the stakes a little..."

Ginji gulped as a familiar red sword slowly appeared out from Akabane's left hand.

Wielding his blade, Akabane Kurudo charged towards his opponent.

Ban prepared herself. The two were soon again lost in a mist of dust, snakes and scalpels...

After about 15 minutes, the dust cleared and Ginji saw that both fighters were still standing and relatively uninjured...

"Not bad, Mido-kun... That'll be all for today."

"Why the sudden withdrawal, Jackal?"

"As of now, we are evenly matched. Also, you've given me enough pleasure for today. You've fought very well as a female, Mido-kun. I look forward to having another round with you after you've changed back," With that, the Doctor turned and started walking away from the duo.

"Natsu.. I mean... Ban-chan, are you ok?"

"I'm fine. Well, it seems like for today, you're not the focus of his attention, Ginji."

"Arigato, Ban-chan!"

After yet another short walk, Ginji decided that he would take the risk.

"Ban-chan, can I ask you for a favour?"

"All right! What's it you want, you stupid eel?"

"Can you just close your eyes?"

"You better not try anything funny!"

Still, Ban did what her partner had requested.

Suddenly, she felt something on her lips. She tried to struggle free, but somehow, her attempts became weaker and weaker as the seconds passed. I'm actually kind of enjoying this, Ban thought as she felt a pair of hands going around her waist. She decided to spoil the fun.

"Ginji, what the heck are you doing," said Ban in a surprisingly soft voice as she broke free from Ginji's grasp(gently at that). 

"Gomenasai, Ban-chan. It's just that... I've always wanted to..."

"It's Natsumi, right?"

A red-faced Ginji nodded.

"I've always suspected that. So, when are you making your move?"

"Not so soon, Ban-chan. I'm still broke and I don't want to scare her away. She's such a sweet girl..."

"Hmmm...Tell you what. Let's go back to Himiko's place and I'll share with you some secrets a man should know while preparing for such things. But..."

"But what?"

"Tonight, you're sleeping in the living room!"

"Ban-chan..."

"That's final! No buts!"

On their way back to the Honky Tonk...

"Guess what, Ginji? As much as I hate to admit it, I think Himiko's right."

"Huh," Ginji was still shocked that it had been his partner who had started the conversation.

"Through my experiences today, I've realised how difficult it is to actually be a lady. You have to be extra careful here and there... and I guess the stares and gropes really do hurt."

"So, I gathered that you won't be doing anymore of those stuff, Ban-chan?"

"Well,...at least until I've forgotten about today..."

Ban picked up the Beetle which was(thankfully) still parked outside the shop. During the drive back, Ban began sharing his "wealth" of knowledge regarding the art of chasing girls. Ginji cringed at some of the methods his best pal mentioned.

Well, I guess you can't really change a leopard's spots no matter what you do, sighed Ginji.

The first thing Ban saw when she entered the apartment was a little vial on the living room table. Pressed underneath it was a little note.

"What does it say, Ban-chan," asked Ginji as he peered over her shoulder.

Dear Ban,

Sorry about today's prank. But like I said, YOU DESERVED IT!

This vial contains the scent which will remove the spell. I promise you that it's the real antidote.

Hope you've gained some insights on how it feels like to be a teenage girl. If you're still unconvinced, I might just increase the dosage until the spell becomes irreversible!

Love,  
Himiko

"She wouldn't do it," mused Ban.

"But still..."

"I know, Ginji. I promise you, from now on, I'll be fairer to the ladies we come across."

"That's my Ban-chan," said Ginji as he pecked Ban's cheek.

"Ohh, stop being so sappy!"

The End 


End file.
